From the Diary of Theofratus Auerlius
by kerushii-sushi
Summary: A collection of random short stories narrating some events in the life of Vayne's father. From first day to his mysterious death. R&R please.


_**4th January, 176**_

_**Al-Revis Academy  
**_

I remember the day I first walked under the entrance gates of the acadamy very clearly. How could I forget?

I was a youngling at the time, not too far into my 16th year of life, though I didn't look it. Silent and stoic, one who had

grown up too fast. Tall for my age, with mature cobalt eyes and messy dark hair. My uniform was untidy, despite having worn it for barely one day.

I didn't fit in here. Not with all these prim and proper youths from wealthy families. Al-Revis was full of them at the time.

I was an unknown, one whose family name had never before been given to alchemy. There were a few others like me, but they

were few and far between.

But the sun shone brightly that day, and my head buzzed with the hopes and dreams of a new life, despite my adult-like disposition. From here, as I took those first steps to my future, I would no longer be just Theofratus Auerlius. I would become Theofratus Auerlius, the famous alchemist.

Little did I know it was the first steps down a long, dreadful road.

--

Orientation Day. The day I made a new friend. And a rival.

I shuffled awkwardly through the hall with an armful of books, head down, invisible to all. I refused to talk to anyone unless they attempted a conversation first. However, noone made any effort. It seemed that everyone except me knew at least one other person. The cliques were already forming.

Lost in my observation, I made no effort to watch where I was walking. As a result I ran straight on into another student. My

first friend.

I thought he might hit me or hurl insults at me as most teenage boys do. However, he just stood there, a stupid grin on his face and an outstretched hand. While I struggled to collect my books, he introduced himself.

"Hey there. I'm Zeppel Kriever. And you are?" he cocked his head to one side like some kind of innocent pup. All I could do was stare at him, too surprised to make words. Was this boy actually talking to me? Or was there someone standing behind me?

I turned around. Noone. So I was the one his greeting was directed at. I grabbed his hand and hoisted myself up.

"Theofratus," I said. "Theofratus Auerlius."

Zeppel nodded, "Nice to meet you." He turned on his heel and headed into the quad to the auditorium. I followed him, prefering to stick with the only person I knew. This school was massive and easy to get lost in.

"So, where are you from?" Zeppel asked me. He looked me up and down, attempting to figure me out probably.

"I-I live in a small town," I answered truthfully. "Outside the capital."

"Oh. Cool. A lot of the people come from the cities. You seemed different, so I didn't think you would be too," he chattered. Such a talkative youth Zeppel was. "But I thought I'd ask, just to be sure."

He continued to question me in such a manner until we entered a large rectangular building with a domed roof.

I assumed this to be the auditorium. Many students had already gathered inside, clustered in small groups.

One in particular stood out to me.

I noticed a young man surrounded by several females, fawning over him as if he were a rock star of some sort. He wore a cocky grin on his face and tossed his long golden hair periodically. He sported the black uniform of our grade, but in a different style than others, a long coat with no sleeves. His defining feature, however, was a mole on his left cheek. On most people, this would be considered ugly. On him though, it appeared more elegant.

"Who's that?" I implored. I tugged on Zeppel's arm and pointed to the man.

Immediately, the smile plastered on his face fell. He scowled at the sight of this person, and growled with contempt, "That. _That_ is Tarquin Rosenkrantz, the youngest member of the famous alchemist family."

I glanced and forth between the two blondes, Zeppel and Tarquin. I had never heard such a name in my entire life. Besides, I couldn't seem to understand why Zeppel had so much hate for this boy.

I would not wonder long, for Zeppel launched into a rant. "He's not even a talented alchemist! The only reason he's here is because of his family's reputation. That, and his parents probably bribed the principal. Oh, and he's also a huge bully..."

As he went on with his monologue, Tarquin waved goodbye to the lot of girls and sauntered over between Zeppel and myself. I hadn't noticed from far away, but up close he was rather short for his age.

"And I heard a rumor that he has a major flatulence problem," Zeppel talked on, paying the other no mind. Until he made a loud "ahem" and made his presence known.

Zeppel's mood changed as he turned to face Tarquin. "Oh...hi. Heh, heh! Sorry about that. I didn't notice-" he attempted an apology, but the shorter man interrupted.

"Kriever, Kriever, Kriever," Tarquin clicked his tongue. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to believe everything you hear?"

Zeppel chuckled nervously, "Yeah, I-I heard. Won't happen again, promise."

The other boy grinned devilishly. He cracked his knuckles on both hands and said, "Maybe I should hold you to that."

At first I didn't know what to do. I just stared dumbly at the two. But as Tarquin raised one fist to strike Zeppel, my feet sprang into action. There was no way I'd let some punk hurt my first friend. I sprinted in between them, not even thinking about my movements. I raised my hands and blocked caught Tarquin's punch in mid-swing.

"Stop," my voice sounded foreign to me, now solid and commanding. "Don't hurt him."

Tarquin blinked in confusion. He must have found it hard to believe that some new kid would dare to get involved in one of his battles. However, his arm returned to his side as well as that smile to his face. He spun around and glanced at me over his shoulder.

"You've got a lot of nerve, kid," he told me. "I admire that."

I just watched as he walked away. The force that had propelled me to my friend's rescue now held me firmly rooted in place.

I now, at least remotely, understood why Zeppel hated this man. He was indeed a bully, along with an ego the size of the Lower World. Despite that though, I too admired him. I had no idea why at that moment, but I now have grown to learn that there are many sides to Tarquin Rosenkrantz. Many of which were far more endearing.

My trance was broken when I felt a tug on my sleeve. Zeppel nodded grimly and lead me across the room. Several others stared as we passed.

"Come on. Orientation is starting."


End file.
